Gosh. Not in literal terms, I hope. Is this a result of prolonged exposure to eInk?

Failure to properly hydrate during extended reading sessions.

Seriously, I think that the price war is going to hit those companies who need a healthy profit margin to survive. I see most reading devices as a commodity, the thing you need to read your ebooks, rather than a "hot" or "cool" item that you pay a premium for. Those devices that aren't attached to a bookstore, that don't have ebook sales as a revenue stream, are going to have a hard time producing a device that competes on price and returns a profit.

If I were in charge of marketing the Kobo, I would look for opportunities for product placement in media. Not that it has to be woven into a storyline, but if a character could simply be seen reading a Kobo when the doorbell rings, that would be priceless exposure.